california agriculture prolific california’s climate irrigation—the absolute necessity highly...

California Agriculture• Prolific

• California’s climate

• Irrigation—the absolute necessity

• Highly specialized—the Mediterranean opportunity

• California did not always dominate

• Celebrating the agricultural landscape

• The growing need for water conservation

• Agriculture and the California myth

• The rural/urban contest

Agricultural Sales, 2002

• United States 200.6 billion

– California 25.7 billion– Texas 14.1 billion– Iowa 14.1 billion– Kansas 8.7 billion– Minnesota 8.5 billion– Illinois 7.7 billion– North Carolina 7.0 billion

California’s Unbalanced Distribution

ofPrecipitation and Agriculture

California Stream

Discharge

Non-irrigated western edge of the Central Valley

California Agricultural Regions

California StateWater System

California’sFederal

Water Projects

OrovilleDam

The Delta

Delta Farmland

Delta Water Diversion Canal and Pump Station

California Aqueduct

Central Valley Water Transfer Canal

The IrrigatedImperial Valley

Edge of the Imperial Valley

Central Valley near Fresno

Rice irrigation, solar heating of mountain waternear Sacramento

Rain-for-Center pipe center, Salinas Valley

Adding chemicals to irrigation water,San Joaquin Valley

California Agricultural Production as % of US Total

Almonds 99 Grapes 91Apricots 93 Honeydews 76Artichokes 99 Kiwifruit 99Asparagus 55 Lemons 87Avocados 90 Lettuce 74Broccoli 92 Onions 32Carrots 76 Peaches 75Cauliflower 86 Pears 30Celery 95 Spinach 67

Dates 99 Strawberries 85Figs 99 Tomatoes 86Garlic 84 Walnuts 99

Agricultural Regionsof

Coastal and ValleyCalifornia

Artichokes, lower Salinas ValleyArtichoke Field, lower Salinas Valley

Artichokes

Harvesting Artichokesnear Castroville

Packing Artichokes

Picking broccoli, Salinas Valley

Transporting broccoli

Salinas Valley

Quick-cooling broccoli, Salinas

Napa Valley Vineyard

Napa Valley Vineyard

Bacio Divino Vineyard

Napa ValleyWine Trail

Napa Valley Wine Train

Gallo Livingstone Winery

Gallo Fresno Winery

Lompoc—the flower center

Lompoc

Orange Groves, California Aqueductsouthern San Joaquin Valley

Southern San Joaquin Valley

Short makes them

easierto harvest

Virginia, not California

Arkansas, not California

Wasteful Irrigation

Artesian Wellbefore the water

was all gone

Drip Irrigation in Orange GroveSouthern San Joaquin Valley

Almond grove near Fresno

Water Conserving Irrigation, Coachella Valley

Drying Figs postcard, ~1908

O

Orange Groves and Mountains—the California Dream

The California Dream, 1910

The California Dream, 1940s Style

1910 Rose Parade—for the saps in Iowa

California’s PopulationDistribution--

they also use water—and land